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economist suntribune the environment saturday may 18 2002 staff photosjoerd witteveen wwtchurchstouffville councillor mark carroll at the eastern end of musselmans lake which some say is being contaminated by faulty sewage septic systems money is available in york region from the area conservation authorities to fix them up cleaning up unfit septic systems rural homeowners offered cash to replace leaky sewage equipment by joan ransberry staff writer property owners across york region are being offered up to 6500 each to help breathe some life back into area lakes rivers and streams by fixing their faulty septic systems some systems on residential properties especially those at musselmans lake and preston lake in whitchurchstouffville and in sections of georgina and king are in terrible shape many septic systems are broken while most built from the 30s through the 50s are too small for their properties whitchurch- stouffville ward 2 councillor mark carroll said in an interview councillor carroll is leading the charge to have septic systems brought up to standard with the support of the two conservation authorities serving york region councillor carroll is informing the public that a cashwrapped pack age is available to help residents fix underground systems defective septic systems have been identified as a major culprit making area lakes rivers and streams sick said councillor carroll the problem is so severe it is threatening the health of york region residents he said nitrates and phosphates are getting into the lakes causing can cercausing bluegreen algae growth said councillor carroll one of the sources of the pollution problem comes from faulty sewage systems it has to be fixed we have to partner up and get the job done before its too late water experts say algae con tributes to the loss of oxygen in lake water resulting in the death of fish it causes flulike symptoms in swimmers if the water is ingested it is often responsible for beach clo sures the first line of attack is to correct the cause of the problem rather than the symptoms councillor carroll said the most effective solution is reducing jthe phosphorus a chemical found in sewage and fertilizer he said water samples taken in the past few years from musslemans lake have shown a high level of phos phorus states a report published by the friends of musselmans lake a citizens group cancercausing bluegreen algae showed up in musselmans lake a few years ago its been clean of it the last two years but it could come back the stage is set for it said councillor carroll who lives at the lake both area conservation authori ties have launched water quality improvement programs offering 5000 grants the toronto and region conservation authority trca covers markham richmond hill southern whitchurchstouffville vaughan and part of king township with a grant worth up to 6500 the lake simcoe and region conservation authority lsrca oversees aurora newmarket northern whitchurchstouffville east gwillimbury georgina and parts of king the cost to replace an averagesized private septic system is between 10000 and 12000 nobody knows exactly how many systems are buried in york region but officials do know pri vate septic systems number in the thousands and they know faulty septic systems while out of sight are seeping time bombs councillor carroll will ask whitchurchstouffville council to lend residents money to cover the remaining 50 per cent for the septic systems whitchurchstouffville alone has about 5000 private systems he said there are 1200 in musselmans lake and neighbour ing ballantrae most of the houses at musselmans lake are summer cottages that were converted about 40 years ago with little or nothing done to upgrade the septic systems the same situation applies to about 100 properties at preston lake at woodbine avenue and bloomington road newer homes on the west side of the lake are fine homes on the north side of preston lake were cottages they were built in the 1930s and could be suspect said councillor carroll tests carried out in preston lake last year showed cancercausing bluegreen algae this is a critical situation faulty systems are adding to the contamination of rivers streams and kettle lakes together government and citizens alike have to assume the responsibility and find a remedy the process to receive funding for whitchurchstouffville residents is simple councillor carroll point ed out the first step is to contact the municipalitys planning depart ment and request an inspector come to the property and inspect the system the homeowner shouldnt feel pressured in any way said councillor carroll the town is not going to force anyone to repair their system the town will only report the findings to the property owner see towns page 9 m 1 lv i prevention stil the best core question my eyesight is perfect i am not squinting or straining to see and i think my eyes are healthy so i dont have to have my eyes checked do i aaah the old if it aint broke dont fix it logic well your eyes are actually different from say a lawn mower a machine will sputter stall spit turn on a red light or simply conk out letting you know that something is wrong your eyes dont always warn you of impending danger serious eye diseases such as glaucoma retinal detachment diabetic and hypertensive retinopathies some brain tumours multiple sclerosis among many other conditions may or may not produce early enough warning signs for you to act in a timely manner think prevention and have your eyes examined well before they become diseased or lose precious sight drhhw open day untl 6 pm highway 7 tssss o p t o m f t r i s t for your convenience at ninth une in markham tel 47 1 eyes c3937j